Database Currency Preflight Checklist
Interactive database currency checklist for IFR flight — cycle checks, device consistency and the NOTAM layer, with progress saved locally.
The cycle-boundary trap catches careful pilots: a procedure amended on cycle day differs between your two devices until both are updated — and NOTAMs amend faster than any database.
Before IFR flight
Procedure sanity
After updates
⚠️ Not for operational decisions. This is a record-keeping and planning aid only — not certified avionics, not a source of regulatory truth. Always verify against official sources (FAA) and your operator's approved documents before flying.
Disclaimer: This tool is for general informational and estimation purposes only and is not professional financial, tax, accounting or legal advice. All figures are estimates — verify with a qualified professional before making decisions. Read the full disclaimer.
Free interactive database currency checklist: the cycle, consistency and NOTAM checks that make 'the box is current' true before IFR flight — tick-off progress saved in your browser.
About Database Currency Preflight Checklist
The cycle-boundary trap catches careful pilots: a procedure amended on cycle day differs between your two devices until both are updated — and NOTAMs amend faster than any database. This checklist runs the three layers in order: currency (effective-dates pages, not recollection), cross-device consistency (panel and EFB agreeing on the cycle), and the recency layer no database carries — NOTAMs amending procedures inside the 28-day rhythm. The after-update section closes the loop with verification and logging. It's a two-minute discipline that removes an entire category of IFR surprise: the approach that loads differently than the chart you briefed.
How to use Database Currency Preflight Checklist
- 1Run the currency section during preflight planning.
- 2Confirm panel/EFB cycle consistency before briefing procedures.
- 3After update days, run the verification section and log the load.
Why use Database Currency Preflight Checklist?
- ✓Three-layer structure: currency, consistency, NOTAM recency
- ✓Encodes the cycle-boundary and device-mismatch traps
- ✓After-update verification closes the loop
- ✓Tick-off progress saved locally; reset per flight day
- ✓Free, private, no account
Frequently asked questions
What database checks belong in an IFR preflight?+
Three layers: currency (the device's effective-dates page — not memory), consistency (panel and EFB on the same cycle, because a mismatch means one of them is wrong about something), and recency-beyond-the-database (NOTAMs, which amend procedures faster than the 28-day rhythm can). The expired-database path — verifying each procedure against current charts — is legal diligence US guidance permits, but as a habit it costs more than the subscription it avoids.
Why do panel and EFB cycles drift apart?+
Different update paths: the panel needs a card or wireless session someone must perform; the EFB updates itself over WiFi the moment it sees the internet. After a cycle boundary, the tablet is current within hours while the panel waits for a human — and a procedure amended that cycle now differs between the two screens you're cross-checking against each other. The consistency check exists because each device alone looks perfectly healthy; only the comparison reveals the drift.
Where is this data stored?+
Everything you enter is saved in your browser's local storage on your own device — nothing is uploaded to any server. Your records stay completely private, work offline, and load instantly. Use the CSV export regularly to keep an off-device backup copy.
How do I back up or print these records?+
Use the Export CSV button below the table: it downloads your full currency check record as a spreadsheet-ready file. From there you can print a clean copy, archive it with your records folder, or import it into any other system. Exporting monthly is a good habit since the working data lives only in your browser.
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